Celebrated in Mexico and surrounding territories, Dia de los Muertos is the celebration of the lives of those that have passed and now lead the journey of "life" from the other side.
I love this time of year. Every thing about it makes me happy, nourished, fulfilled, warm, invigorated, contemplative. This time of year is like a long needed out breath.
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Free candy and cheap halloween cupcakes from the bakery at the grocery store kick ass like nothing else! That black and orange frosting made with lard...oh how my soul rejoices!
As I have gotten older and lost people near and dear to my heart, I love the ceremony of honoring them and their role in my life, before and after the whole death thing.
It seems fitting to me that we take just one day to out of our busy year to dedicate to them...those that have touched our lives and our hearts in small and not so small ways.
I love the idea that we don't turn them into ghost and ghouls and monsters on this day...just regular ole' dead people...like they are.
On this day I honor the many people that have crossed that final threshold of earthly existence.
But very personally, I honor my mother and grandmother today. Those two women gave me the foundations on which I became the woman I am today.
These women (notice I say women and not ladies...many things they were...but dainty tea drinking ladies they were not) embodied the, dare I say, earthly goddess mother energy. If either of them ever heard me refer to them that way during their time on earth, they would have gaged, rolled their eyes and given me a,
"Pleeeease! Honey, I don't have time for that kind of S@#$" And that is how I know that they really embodied that energy here on earth...they weren't talking about it, they were doing it.
They were cooking, cleaning, working, loving their kids, supporting their partners, balancing checkbooks, stacking firewood, fixing screen doors, holding together the family, and laughing the whole time. And bitching and criticizing little on the side...let's not idealize, they were real people before they were dead!
My children don't get to have these powerful women in their lives, and hardly remember them when they were. But these women loved my kids like nothing else, and if such things are possible, I think they are still hanging out in the ethers of our lives. If they are "around", they are watching over us, probably laughing, talking, drinking coffee and passing judgement of our lives...it just wouldn't be them if they weren't.
I hope I can do their love of me and my children justice. And if I can't...well, too bad too sad. Nothin' they can do about it now...they're dead! And I have the last laugh. (Insert evil cackle here)
And life goes on, for better or worse.
Last night on All Hallows Eve...I did this with my kids. I think I want to be a make up artist now.
Two Face...spooky!
And then the masquerade beauty!
I think I am now in love with fake eye lashes!
The gang prepares to take the town!
Gorgeous aren't they?
My kids have come a long way from these days...when Grandma Roz and Great Grandma Padilla were still kickin' it here on Earth with us.
Let's celebrate the miracle of Life and Death today because they do go hand in hand after all...for better or worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment